Twistercraft Restoration

[mbd29]

Here are more.

[59powercat1400]

Way to go man. It looks as good as new. Dick.

[PARKER RABE]

dammmm mike .......thats just so trick.......what a job u did . congrats buddy....my dad would freak!

[bernie]

Mike - thanks again for letting me occupy that famous seat! And stop worrying about the little flaws that only you can see 'cause you know where they are!!!

[jackiewilson]

So,is that it, is the damn thing finished or not? You going to ever wet it's bum, don't suppose so, Mercury got more than a $1,000 tied up in that mother, so it's for show purposes only!!!!!
Billy showed me some of the footage with Reggie, Bentz and him at Reggie's pad, bloody hilarious,
you came out best Butler, just a little thicker round the belt line.
understand it,s all part of the 75 years of Mercury campaign.
Try to squeeze a few more cents out of the management, invest in a set of wheels to rest the damn thing on, as it is it looks like Merc is a cheapskate outfit doing half a job !!!!,,,

[mbd29]

Gee Jackie tell me how you really feel. I guess we are on opposite sides of the spectrum here. I see it a little different than you. Yes, the boats were not big game changers in boat racing but in my eyes they, especially Little Red, were symbols of kind of boat racing and a company that I loved. Little Red and Little Blue did set records so they didn't run to bad.
I was a mediocre racer, unlike you and your world famous career, starting in the early 70's. I had been around boats from an early age then started working at a Mercury dealer in high school, rigging boats. My first race boat was a Hustler tunnel and ran it with a 1000 BP and then 1350. I saw Little Red when Billy would bring it to some of the local races. I loved that because usually OMC was pretty visible at these races. It was not uncommon to see Charlie and Ann Strang, Edgar Rose, Jim Jost, Lou Epple, Tom Ireland, Bill Richter, Harold Nauss, Art Kennedy and Jimbo making an appearance.
Boat racing was what got me into Mercury and I was like a kid in a candy store. Little Red was sitting in the yard when I started and was pretty much not being used by that time. All the back door politics and new designs were obsoleting it. Thank Dave Packer and his family for keeping it preserved all these years.
As far as getting its bum wet I don't think it will happen as long as Mercury has it. I just hope it is still around for the 100 year anniversary. Racing had it on display for the official birthday last month and you know there are only two original Mercury High Performance Products employees left that started in 1973. Russ Kuklinski, Director of Manufacturing and Jim Schlicting, Production Manager. They will be retiring shortly.
I look at Little Red with the TIIX on the back of it and see the epitome of Mercury and its employees with their hard work, dedication and will to win. I'm just glad to be part of it. In the big picture though there is so much to the history of this company and many things that Mr. Kiekhaefer accomplished over the years that the Twistercrafts were just one small part of it.
This is my last year here and I can really say I have been living the dream. One of my fondest memories was when Gary introduced me to Mr. Kiekhaefer. He had left Mercury by then but we stayed in touch. It was at the Miami Boat show and he came up to me in the Mercury booth and said come with me. We walked over to the K.A.M. booth and introduced me to Mr. Kiekhaefer. I sat there as they talked for about 45 minutes in a trance. He died shortly after that in Oct of 83.
I guess I got a little sentimental there but it's my two cents worth.

[C.G. 125]

Mike, Good for you!

[willabee]

.....Racing had it on display for the official birthday last month and you know there are only two original Mercury High Performance Products employees left that started in 1973. Russ Kuklinski, Director of Manufacturing and Jim Schlicting, Production Manager. They will be retiring shortly........

...... I guess I got a little sentimental there but it's my two cents worth.

I think you stated your two cents worth quite well ,even the Old Crustacean will relate.

However, I wish you guys would quit trying to bury me before I quit breathing! There are at least three original Hi Perf employees remaining. I was the very first Manager of High Performance Products. I was promoted to that position in 72, there was no Hi Perf at the time. Garbrecht said I had a budget that would allow two or three mechanics and a secretary. They wanted to be operational in 1973, but we didn't even have a building! After a search for an operating facility was completed (mostly by me), it was decided to lease space at the Deltox building directly across the street from Racing at 20 Wisconsin street. I told Gary that I didn't need the staff he said I could hire, I needed a wood butcher to start building two cycle and four cycle work areas, offices, etc. I needed someone to set up a stockroom as Hi Perf was going to house all racing items and the builds like the 25ss and the TII would be completed at this facility.

I "borrowed" Jack Ferris and a helper to get the woodwork done. I'm pretty sure that next I transferred Randy Hawkwitz from Racing to set up and be in charge of Mercury's new central high performance parts stockroom. I don't recall for sure who was next, but I knew Jim Schlicting from my days of drag racing. He worked at a Sinclair gas station that I used to work on my car. He was a damn good mechanic and simply a very nice young man, I hired him to be the leadman in our new two cycle department. I'm not sure if Gary or I hired Russ Kuklinski. As I recall, he started as a "go-fer" and I remember he was put in charge of buying and selling potato chips, pop, candy bars, etc. for the department (we had no vending machines). The profit he made each year was used to help fund our Christmas party. I think he became Randy's assistant in the stockroom. Both those guys have done well, that's great!

Anyway, I could go on and on about how we got Hi Perf running, who we hired and what we did in those early years, but my point was just to remind you that the most original member of the Hi Perf department ..... the very first to go on the Hi Perf payroll ..... is still alive and kicking!

[jackie wilson]

Mike, Good for you!

C'mon Mike ------give me a break, you did a great job on restoring the boat-------pulled a brand new motor from Hi-Perf------then left it on the tatty old launching trolley. You gonna dress Billy in a dirty old sweatshirt for the launch.??????
Put cap in hand ----march into the office-----Kneel,--touch forelock and ask for the dinero to buy a suitable trailer. SIMPLE-----as Hamgurger used to preach----IF YOU DON'T ASK, YOU DON'T GET.
MIKE, i was only ever a middlin racer----never the top handful---but i could talk well enough to get me a Mercury ride, was a whole lot better than some of the dingleberries that were there in the day. Loved the sport all my life and still do----but despair at the wankers running it today. No thought for the safety aspect----they don't listen----'cause they "KNOW".
Got to see Mr. K. in Paris one year, but never got introduced, why the hell i didn't just walk up to him and say hi i still can't fathom.
Don't ever stop being the short fat stumpy little fecker who we all got to love dearly----huge grin----camera slung round neck ----Cut him in half and he would have M-E-R-C-U-R-Y-------OSHBERG printed inside like a stick of rock.
Nowt wrong with a bit of sentiment-------but you can't buy or even put a price on "LOYALTY" you have always been soft, sentimental, and Mercury through and through---Nuff said---i'm off.
JRW.

[jackie wilson]

Bill- i have no idea how this happened----i was reading Butlers thread "twister craft restoration " did a reply----and it topped up on yours ----SORRREEEEE, J

[C.G. 125]

Mike, Again, nice job!

[T2x]

Gee Jackie tell me how you really feel. I guess we are on opposite sides of the spectrum here. I see it a little different than you. Yes, the boats were not big game changers in boat racing but in my eyes they, especially Little Red, were symbols of kind of boat racing and a company that I loved. Little Red and Little Blue did set records so they didn't run to bad.
I was a mediocre racer, unlike you and your world famous career, starting in the early 70's. I had been around boats from an early age then started working at a Mercury dealer in high school, rigging boats. My first race boat was a Hustler tunnel and ran it with a 1000 BP and then 1350. I saw Little Red when Billy would bring it to some of the local races. I loved that because usually OMC was pretty visible at these races. It was not uncommon to see Charlie and Ann Strang, Edgar Rose, Jim Jost, Lou Epple, Tom Ireland, Bill Richter, Harold Nauss, Art Kennedy and Jimbo making an appearance.
Boat racing was what got me into Mercury and I was like a kid in a candy store. Little Red was sitting in the yard when I started and was pretty much not being used by that time. All the back door politics and new designs were obsoleting it. Thank Dave Packer and his family for keeping it preserved all these years.
As far as getting its bum wet I don't think it will happen as long as Mercury has it. I just hope it is still around for the 100 year anniversary. Racing had it on display for the official birthday last month and you know there are only two original Mercury High Performance Products employees left that started in 1973. Russ Kuklinski, Director of Manufacturing and Jim Schlicting, Production Manager. They will be retiring shortly.
I look at Little Red with the TIIX on the back of it and see the epitome of Mercury and its employees with their hard work, dedication and will to win. I'm just glad to be part of it. In the big picture though there is so much to the history of this company and many things that Mr. Kiekhaefer accomplished over the years that the Twistercrafts were just one small part of it.
This is my last year here and I can really say I have been living the dream. One of my fondest memories was when Gary introduced me to Mr. Kiekhaefer. He had left Mercury by then but we stayed in touch. It was at the Miami Boat show and he came up to me in the Mercury booth and said come with me. We walked over to the K.A.M. booth and introduced me to Mr. Kiekhaefer. I sat there as they talked for about 45 minutes in a trance. He died shortly after that in Oct of 83.
I guess I got a little sentimental there but it's my two cents worth.

Mike:

Very well said. I remember when you were hired and how happy you were to be there....you also have to give Willabee his due..as he certainly had a huge part in the DNA of Mercury's racing heritage. As for Jackie.....well he is English, after all, and you need a little upper Midwest sentiment to really appreciate how much Mr. K did with little more than a glorified weed wacker and the heart of a lion as a starting point. Like you, I still bleed Mercury Black, for reasons that confound me to this day...but I wouldn't trade those reasons for the world. In the end it is really a reflection of you folks out in "Oshberg" ( i prefer "Fond du Kosh myself) and LakeX who built wild things and breathed magic into a number of lives around the world...Without Mercury (and their little war with OMC), Jackie would have had no reason to concoct that Cosworth wonder, for who would he have had to conquer? ( Not to mention, he would not have had a drive system... )

One last thing, please give Slick my best wishes for a well earned retirement, and my eternal gratitude for opening the back door when GG closed the front.....

P.S. You do whatever you want with Little Red..and we'll find a bunch of other stuff to play with....maybe even get you and Willa to come out and help us make fools of ourselves running around in wet circles...

T2x

[FUJIMO]

Mike:

Very well said. I remember when you were hired and how happy you were to be there....you also have to give Willabee his due..as he certainly had a huge part in the DNA of Mercury's racing heritage. As for Jackie.....well he is English, after all, and you need a little upper Midwest sentiment to really appreciate how much Mr. K did with little more than a glorified weed wacker and the heart of a lion as a starting point. Like you, I still bleed Mercury Black, for reasons that confound me to this day...but I wouldn't trade those reasons for the world. In the end it is really a reflection of you folks out in "Oshberg" ( i prefer "Fond du Kosh myself) and LakeX who built wild things and breathed magic into a number of lives around the world...Without Mercury (and their little war with OMC), Jackie would have had no reason to concoct that Cosworth wonder, for who would he have had to conquer? ( Not to mention, he would not have had a drive system... )

One last thing, please give Slick my best wishes for a well earned retirement, and my eternal gratitude for opening the back door when GG closed the front.....

P.S. You do whatever you want with Little Red..and we'll find a bunch of other stuff to play with....maybe even get you and Willa to come out and help us make fools of ourselves running around in wet circles...

T2x

Your incredible.

[mbd29]

Mike, Good for you!

Thanks Chick. How much longer do you have?

[mbd29]

[QUOTE=willabee;2595251]I think you stated your two cents worth quite well ,even the Old Crustacean will relate.

However, I wish you guys would quit burying me before I die! There are at least three original Hi Perf employees remaining. I was the very first Manager of High Performance Products.

Bill: I may not have been to clear but what I meant was that Russ and Slick are the only two left, still working at Racing, who started in 1973 when HP was formed.